Right from the cab driver to the hotel owner all eyes were on the footballers, officials and AIFF personnel who are making the place their base for the next fortnight. “Sir aap idhar football ke liye ho? (Sir are you here for football?)”, was the first quip from Aditya Gaekwad, the man who drove us around. On confirming, the huge smile on his face followed by queries about the tournament set the tone for this football mad town.
A royal treatment was meted out during breakfast at the hotel with similar questions surrounding the IWL. The final word from the hotel manager was, “Baiko aur beti ko lekar jayega (Will take my wife and daughter along).”
An India-Netherlands women’s international friendly back in 2013 had seen a raucous jam packed crowd and indications are there that sizeable if not similar crowds can be expected during the league. A place where word spreads quickly like wildfire and the ongoing preparations at the Rajarshi Shahu Stadium had already sent the locals into discussions about the football coming to town.
The qualifying stages of the Indian Women’s League starts on November 25.